title: The prevalence of inducible and constitutive clindamycin resistance among the nasal isolates of staphylococci.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One of the important sources of Staphylococci which causes nosocomial infections, is the nasal carriage of Staphylococci among Health Care Workers (HCWs). The commonest antibiotic which is preferred for the treatment of the methicillin and multi drug resistant Staphylococcal infections is clindamycin. The inducible clindamycin resistance in Staphylococci is not detected by the routine antibiotic susceptibility testing and it results in treatment failures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was undertaken to know the prevalence of constitutive and inducible clindamycin resistance and its correlation with the methicillin resistance among the nasal isolates of Staphylococci which were obtained from different HCWs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nasal swabs were collected from 206 HCWs and they were processed. The Staphylococci which were isolated were tested for methicillin resistance by using cefoxitin (30 μg) discs. The inducible clindamycin resistance was tested by using erythromycin (15 μg) and clindamycin (2μg) discs and the D test according to the CLSI guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inducible clindamycin resistance was seen in 21(16.40%) of the S.aureus and 14 (7.56%) of the coagulase negative Staphylococcal isolates. Constitutive clindamycin resistance was seen in 23(17.96%) of the S.aureus and 43(23.24%) of the coagulase negative Staphylococcal isolates. The inducible and constitutive clindamycin resistance was more common among the methicillin resistant Staphylococcal isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of inducible and constitutive clindamycin resistance in the nasal Staphylococcal isolates which were obtained from the HCWs was high, especially among the methicillin resistant Staphylococci. The D test which is recommended by the CLSI should be routinely done to detect inducible clindamycin resistance, to prevent treatment failures.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, S. N. M. C. Bagalkot, India .
authors.forename: Baragundi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahesh C
authors.forename: Kulkarni
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramakant B
authors.forename: Sataraddi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jagadeesh V
keywords: D test; Inducible clindamycin resistance; MLSB; Methicillin resistance; Staphylococci